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Friday, September 9, 2016

Diary of Sergeant George G. Smith: February 9, 1863

This day will be remembered by the First Louisiana by the event of
raising the flag on the new fort. It was now about completed. Six large
24 pound cannon had been mounted on the parapets, and our company(C) had been
detailed to man the guns. It was what is termed a (star fort) having salient
and re-enterant angles. Two sides were protected by the river and bayou
Lafourche. The others by a deep moat or ditch nicely bricked up inside. The
parapet was made of sand and nicely turfed: ambrasures being left for the guns;
Altogether it presented a very pretty appearance. The raising of the flag and
christning of the fort was in this wise, by 10 o'clock a. m., the regiment was
formed in square around the flag pole in the center of the fort with officers,
ladies and citizens in the center. An interesting young lady by the name of
Miss Weber was selected to preside on the occasion. A table was placed in the
center on which the flag rested with the halyards attached. The men were
stationed at the guns- Everything being in readiness, an officer passed the
bottle of champagne to Miss Weber. At the signal she smashed the bottle
spilling the contents on the flag, at the same time exclaiming “I christen thee
Fort Butler”. This done the flag ascended slowly to the peak of the mast, amid
the booming of cannon, soul stiring strains of the “Star Spangled Banner”, by
the band, and shouting of the spectators. This lasted about twenty minutes,
when we were entertained with a speech by the chaplain and Col. Holcomb. The
latter told the people of Donaldsonville, “That was the flag under which their
fathers had fought for freedom. It was the flag, under the protection of whose
ample folds, their little city had sprung up from the wilderness like the
garden of Eden. But since they had forsaken its protection, and with inpious
hands had torn it from its place, their city had “become as Sodom and like unto
Gomorrah.” “He closed by saying that, “Whoever attempted to pull that flag
down, he would shoot him on the spot.”

SOURCE: Abstracted from George G. Smith, Leaves from a
Soldier's Diary, p. 37-8